Notorious people-search site National Public Data returns under new owner after 3 billion-person breach
Site relaunched as Perfect Privacy LLC while keeping searchable personal records intact, raising renewed privacy concerns
National Public Data, the people-search site at the center of one of the largest data breaches in history, has returned to operation under new ownership more than a year after it disappeared from the internet.
The site, which previously exposed personal information tied to an estimated 3 billion individuals, now lists its operator as Perfect Privacy LLC. Despite the change in ownership name, the business model appears unchanged: the service continues to allow users to look up personal data about friends, relatives or strangers using only a person’s name.
National Public Data (NPD) made headlines after a breach that security researchers and media outlets described as among the largest ever, following the exposure of billions of records. After the breach was disclosed, the site went offline and attracted scrutiny from privacy advocates and legislators over how large-scale aggregations of public and commercial records are collected and sold.
The relaunched site includes disclaimers referencing the Fair Credit Reporting Act, but those notices do not prevent private users from querying the database to retrieve personal details that could be used in decisions about employment, housing or credit, according to the site’s publicly visible search functionality. The new owner’s name, Perfect Privacy LLC, is not affiliated with a similarly named virtual private network service.
Cybersecurity experts and privacy advocates have repeatedly cautioned that widely accessible people-search databases can be misused for doxxing, identity theft, targeted scams and discrimination. The return of NPD renews concerns about the availability of personal data and the limits of existing rules that govern consumer reporting for certain uses.
Regulatory responses to large-scale data aggregations have been uneven, with some lawmakers calling for stricter controls and transparency around data brokers, while others have sought investigations after specific breaches. The mass exposure linked to NPD prompted renewed discussion in Washington and among state officials about whether additional legal safeguards are needed to protect Americans’ data.
The relaunched site does not appear to have published a detailed statement addressing the previous breach, remediation steps taken or the provenance of the data it continues to make searchable. The scope and sources of the records available through NPD under the new ownership have not been publicly documented by regulators or the company.
Researchers who analyze data broker ecosystems say the underlying market is complex and resilient: lists and aggregated records frequently change hands, are repackaged and reappeared under different brands or operators after disruptions. That resilience can make it difficult for consumers to know where their information circulates and which entities are responsible for securing it.
The re-emergence of National Public Data brings renewed attention to the balance between public records access and individual privacy, and to ongoing questions about oversight of data brokers and marketplaces that compile and sell personal information. Privacy advocates urge consumers to monitor their accounts for fraud, consider credit freezes or alerts where appropriate, and to press for clearer regulatory protections for data collected and sold at scale.
Journalists and consumer advocates continue to track developments involving the site and regulatory responses. Federal or state enforcement actions, if any are forthcoming, could clarify responsibilities for companies operating large people-search databases and the protections required for individuals whose records are aggregated and sold.